Nuclear Plants Could Fuel Hydrogen Future

Nuclear Plants Could Fuel Hydrogen Future

Using hydrogen as a clean, renewable source of energy could free us from fossile fuels. But hydrogen atoms don’t exist alone in nature; they’re always bound to another atom. Think of water, which has hydrogen and oxygen. Splitting hydrogen atoms from the oxygen takes power. And if that electricity comes from a natural gas or coal planet, well, we’re just back to where we started.

But scientists say that using nuclear power could be the answer. Ibrahim Khamis, of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, said heat from nuclear power plants — already used to make steam that powers turbines for electricity — could be used to make hydrogen.